Young White Kids Are Breaking the Silence And The System Is Feeling The Pressure

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]black people are not treated fairly as white people. It's not fair. Are we white people? Yes. We are We are We are >> Young white kids are now openly challenging the system. Young [snorts] white kids are breaking the silence and this is making me happy because I have just seen a video of a eighth grade student in America. He had a speech during graduation and they told him that that speech is pure negative and leave it alone. But on the way he found himself on the stage and just he talked pure.

[00:00:40]Listen to what he said.

[00:00:46]>> My name is Daniel Mamanlig and apparently this school doesn't know better than to give an angry gay kid a microphone. No offense at all but I I came to the graduation planning to give a speech about my trauma influencing me as a person and black, brown, and mixed youth are facing oppression nowadays and being forced to fear their own identities. I had a speech ready to cheer on and encourage oppressed youth which makes up the entirety of the school. I was told by Mr. Dawson and Ms. Arms there's a time and a place. My speech is too negative, it's too controversial.

[00:01:14]This school is built on racism, sexism, sexism, and homophobia. I encourage everyone here today to stand up for yourself even if it makes a scene. This school is [ __ ] ridiculous.

[00:01:25]>> [cheering] >> That's amazing.

[00:01:29]That's amazing. Young white kids, the Gen Zs, they refuse to stay silent. They refuse to It's It's like young whites are rebelling.

[00:01:39]And I have seen comments, a lot of black people are commenting saying that this is what needs to be done. Even white folks, some of them are commenting. They don't give a damn about it. These young kids, they don't give a damn about what is going to happen because they don't believe in the system. The system had was only good to the great great parents, their great great parents. But right now they're being treated equal.

[00:02:01]So they don't see something different.

[00:02:03]Now, much love to every single one of you for joining us today. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your wisdom.

[00:02:08]Thank you for your comments. And thank you for your commitment for seeking the truth. Today I'm just discussing something that many people uh never expected to see on such a large scale.

[00:02:20]Something that is making the powerful system uncomfortable. Something that is making the powerful institution uncomfortable. Sometimes it's creating conversations in schools, in universities, in workplace. This is purely amazing. Now, I want to play you videos of young white people who are increasingly speaking out. They are largely speaking out against racism.

[00:02:43]They are speaking out about inequality.

[00:02:45]They are speaking out about discrimination. And they are speaking out against oppression. And whether some people like it or not, this reality is creating pressure on systems that have long depended on division.

[00:02:59]This is creating pressure. It's creating They are panicking because they have only they've all lived to create division between black and white. But right now, let's watch these clips.

[00:03:11]>> This school is ridiculous.

[00:03:13]>> That's Daniel Mattingly, and that video of his speech from his 8th grade graduation from Stuart Academy here in Louisville is going viral. I got to talk with him today, and he said he originally had a different speech planned.

[00:03:25]>> A majority of it was just explaining that I see that people are going through trauma and going through oppression today.

[00:03:32]>> The teachers had told him it was too negative and said that he couldn't speak last minute. He still found his way up to the stage, and that's when he said this.

[00:03:40]>> This school is built on racism, sexism, sexism, and homophobia. I encourage everyone here today to stand up for yourself, even if it makes a scene.

[00:03:48]>> And Daniel told me his intention was never to paint the school in a bad light, but he just wanted to speak his truth and also to inspire his peers with his own story.

[00:03:57]>> When I was in fourth grade, I was taken to the living room by my parents and they told me that they were diagnosed with cancer. The trauma that you face doesn't have to shape you.

[00:04:08]>> Hi, my name is Brad Taylor and I just finished my freshman year at RHS.

[00:04:12]I've been a part of District 196 schools now for 10 years and I'm going to give you a glimpse today of what's actually going on inside these schools.

[00:04:20]Um despite the board's attempt to deny it, District 196 schools are quickly becoming a place where promoting activism is actually more important than promoting education.

[00:04:29]I'll take I'll take you back to my first day at RHS this fall.

[00:04:33]The principal came out and gave us a heartfelt speech about equality and standing together.

[00:04:38]Um he began to list countless races such as Latino, Asian, expressing how much they matter and how important they are.

[00:04:46]But never once did he mention a race or identity that reflects me or half the kids that were in the class.

[00:04:51]Now members of the board, I know you haven't been to school in a while and I know most of the people I know none of you or most of you don't have any kids left in the school district.

[00:04:59]Um but you must admit how uncomfortable it would be to be characterized just by your skin color on the first day of school and be thought that you were wrong just because of your skin color.

[00:05:10]So I will never forget the look one of my friends gave me from across the room as we were sitting there listening to this blatant bias being expressed in the so-called equity statement by the leader of our school.

[00:05:19]To be clear, I don't need you to tell me that I matter, but hearing the condolences given to other races and leaving just one race out, it inevitably you'll start to feel like you've done something wrong.

[00:05:31]And in our principal's attempt to unify us, he instead created unwarranted boundaries and barriers between his students, pitting us against each other based on characteristics that we can't control.

[00:05:41]In another separate instance, I was told that writing all lives matter on the whiteboard was political and could be seen as offensive.

[00:05:48]When I questioned the teacher after class, she told me that she didn't have an answer and she just had to erase it and it was quickly erased.

[00:05:54]There are political signs all over RHS specific about specific races that matter, specific sexual orientations that matter, and specific perspectives that matter.

[00:06:03]But when I questioned the RHS administration about how these signs were political, they told me that they were supporting human rights.

[00:06:09]So when I questioned why the equity statement couldn't represent all students, they told me that to even ask that question was outlandish and offensive.

[00:06:17]And they when I asked why that was, they told me quote, "Whites have a pretty good situation right now." Unquote.

[00:06:26]So is that not racism? Disregarding my question merely because of the color of my skin.

[00:06:31]To be honest, after enduring a year of the people in charge telling me that I'm a racist and I'm privileged and pointing out our irreversible differences, I've never noticed race more and it's becoming the first thing I notice when I meet someone which has never before been the case.

[00:06:45]RHS administration constantly told me that RHS students and staff are happy with their equity statement, but from the my experience in talking with other students, this is not the case. I know many kids who disagree with their teachers, but they're too scared to stand up because they're worried that their grades will be docked and their learning experience will be affected.

[00:07:02]My honors government teacher, I'm not going to say his name, but he's mentioned that Democrats care more about all people while Republicans only care about themselves.

[00:07:10]And he's also inferred to us that socialism is better than democracy. He even had a statue He had a statue of a socialist leader in his classroom.

[00:07:18]Um I have been I've been told by a lot of kids that they just they silent and adjust their school work to reflect an acceptable opinion to secure a good grade.

[00:07:28]I've been approached by multiple teachers who have told me in private that they just want to say that they agree with me and they support me standing up, but they can't say it in front of the class for fear of being disciplined by the administration in some way or losing their jobs. There is clearly only one way to think in this district and that is that they are teaching their kids to shut up if they don't agree.

[00:07:46]Now members of the board, I want you to take a good look at yourselves in the mirror tonight and ask, are you really standing up for the equality of all people, or are you just pushing a damaging political ideology um on on our students?

[00:07:57]A fellow co-worker at my job, who by the way is of color, discreetly told me that the school seemed to be pushing a very leftist agenda in class.

[00:08:05]This proves that not everyone is happy with your school, and not everyone who isn't happy is white.

[00:08:11]Now due to all these instances I've mentioned and many more that I can't fit in this 5-minute speech, I've decided to leave this district and continue school on a private Christian school online.

[00:08:24]>> [applause] >> And And there will be sacrifices, and I will not get to walk in the graduation ceremony or attend milestones at RHS, but I will be able to learn in an environment that is not intent on punishing me daily for my skin color and political views.

[00:08:40]Now regardless how you take my speech, whether you just shrug it off as malarkey or Fox News talking points, I encourage you to think about it, because someday I'm going to be a leader. I may be the president, a governor, or just a professional golfer, but I will never stop believing that everybody has value, no matter their skin color or personal beliefs. And it's a shame that you're not going to be able to say that I was an alumni of RHS in District 196. Thank you.

[00:09:02]>> I know I don't understand your experience.

[00:09:05]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:09:05]>> Because I have never had to live it.

[00:09:08]>> Come on now.

[00:09:08]>> I can sympathize.

[00:09:10]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:09:10]>> And I can recognize when things ARE WRONG.

[00:09:12]>> WE'RE SUFFERING BROTHERS HERE. COME ON.

[00:09:14]>> FOR INSTANCE, >> UH-HUH.

[00:09:15]>> a black man or woman should never be afraid for their life for getting pulled over for speeding.

[00:09:21]>> COME ON NOW. COME ON.

[00:09:23]>> BUT I HAVE NEVER lived in that fear.

[00:09:24]>> Come on now. COME ON.

[00:09:26]>> NO BLACK MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD ever be reluctant to walk OUTSIDE FOR FEAR OF RACIAL PROFILING.

[00:09:32]>> COME ON NOW. YOU TELL THEM. YOU TELL THEM.

[00:09:33]>> BUT I have never been racially profiled.

[00:09:35]>> That's right. COME ON NOW.

[00:09:36]>> NO BLACK MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD EVER EXPECT TO GO TO JAIL in their lifetime BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

[00:09:43]>> COME ON, NOW.

[00:09:44]>> BUT I HAVE never lived in that expectancy.

[00:09:47]And this is why I don't believe in the phrase, "I don't SEE COLOR."

[00:09:51]>> THAT'S RIGHT.

[00:09:52]>> ONE, TO SAY YOU DON'T SEE COLOR is a lie.

[00:09:57]We're different. WE CAN ALL SEE THAT.

[00:09:58]BUT TWO, and way more importantly, to deny the differences in our skin is to deny the differences IN OUR PRIVILEGE.

[00:10:07]I'M GOING TO SAY THAT AGAIN BECAUSE I THINK IT'S WORTH REPEATING. TO DENY THE DIFFERENCES IN OUR SKIN is to deny the differences in our privilege.

[00:10:18]And that leads me to my next point.

[00:10:21]To deny the differences in our color is to promote ignorance.

[00:10:25]Ignorance is the reason that systemic racism and oppression is allowed to exist in this country.

[00:10:34]So, why am I here? WHY AM I up here speaking?

[00:10:38]I'm going to talk on about three things.

[00:10:40]One of those is change, the other is ignorance, and one is discomfort. I'll get there.

[00:10:45]>> [laughter] >> Broadly speaking, why am I here? Because I want change.

[00:10:51]But let me speak on that for a second because I think a lot of people want change.

[00:10:56]I think A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THEY WANT CHANGE, BUT LET ME CLARIFY.

[00:10:59]I think A LOT OF WHITE people think they want change. But here's the thing about that.

[00:11:05]In order for there to be a true and genuine change, for you, for the black community, for people of color, there has to be an EQUAL AND REQUITED AMOUNT OF change for white privilege.

[00:11:16]AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WHITE PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT. THEY DON'T WANT TO ADMIT THAT. WHITE PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE HEAD START WE HAVE in life just FOR BEING BORN THIS COLOR.

[00:11:30]YOU KNOW WHAT?

[00:11:32]IT'S WILLFUL IGNORANCE.

[00:11:34]WILLFUL ignorance is what allows oppression to continue in this country.

[00:11:41]So, I'm going to talk on ignorance for a second.

[00:11:44]I think one of the biggest things that allows ignorance to continue is our education system.

[00:11:50]>> [laughter] >> Our education system.

[00:11:54]And what I mean by that is our education is a white man's education.

[00:12:00]IT IS A WHITE MAN'S HISTORY.

[00:12:03]WHY DOES THAT MATTER? AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, I CAN RECOGNIZE WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG.

[00:12:09]AND THAT IS WRONG.

[00:12:10]WHY?

[00:12:12]Because when you tell that history, the history that excludes BLACK HISTORY AND BLACK CULTURE and the black experience, YOU ALLOW WHITE PEOPLE TO THINK THAT NOTHING IS WRONG.

[00:12:24]>> [applause] >> AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU ALLOW WHITE PEOPLE TO THINK, WELL, IT WAS BAD back then.

[00:12:29]But it's NOT BAD NOW. HELL, NO.

[00:12:32]IT'S BAD NOW. IN FACT, SOME MIGHT SAY IT'S WORSE BECAUSE THIS IS SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION. THIS IS INSTITUTIONAL OPPRESSION. THIS IS OPPRESSION THAT IS NOT OVERT, BUT IT IS JUST AS POWERFUL AND WE ARE ABLE TO HIDE IT.

[00:12:48]AND I HAVE MORE TO SAY. If you want to hear all of it, please come out Saturday. Thank you. We appreciate it.

[00:12:54]But, just know the reason I'm HERE IS BECAUSE I STAND by you. I SUPPORT YOU. I LOVE each and every one of you out here.

[00:13:01]We are brothers and SISTERS TILL THE DAY we die.

[00:13:05]And this is not my time to have my voice here heard, but I will use my voice for you.

[00:13:11]>> [applause] >> If you could be any race other than the one you are, which would it be?

[00:13:15]>> That's a great question.

[00:13:16]>> Black.

[00:13:17]>> What is your current race?

[00:13:18]>> I'm white.

[00:13:18]>> What is one thing that you take pride in about being white?

[00:13:21]>> There's a lot I look down upon being white.

[00:13:23]>> What is something that you appreciate about black culture?

[00:13:26]>> I just went to a recent concert that had a lot of black artists that I think are extremely inspiring. A lot of what they rap about is something that I cannot experience first hand and I'd like to understand it better and part of that understanding I don't think I will achieve because I'm white.

[00:13:44]>> So I've been doing this hairstyle for the past 2 days and I'm just a little bit obsessed with it. Yeah. So I decided I'm going to make it a trend.

[00:13:51]I'm going to call it sticky bangs and I love it. So if you want to curl, just tell me you want one.

[00:13:56]>> How do you think that Gen Z has changed fashion as a whole?

[00:13:59]>> Some kids are like super creative and some kids are like I only wear thrifted stuff. So they're like kind of like split.

[00:14:04]>> Right, like >> I think it's just like revitalized revolutionist.

[00:14:07]>> I think we're starting to reuse a lot of the stuff and I don't think it's looked down upon to reuse like pieces very often.

[00:14:13]>> Like I'll see a lot of Y2K and mix with like [music] 70s and 80s.

[00:14:16]>> A big wave of independent designers and brands or thing platforms like Depop.

[00:14:20][music] >> Fashion seems like Gen Z is like adapting as like we're these rebels and like we're bringing this new revolution of fashion.

[00:14:27]>> Hey, I want to show you something.

[00:14:29]I've been saying for a while that Gen Z was going to be the generation to really propel us forward and spark change, but let's take a look at Generation Alpha.

[00:14:39]The majority of America will be minorities by 2045 with white people dipping below 50% of the population. You can see that Gen Z is going to be the last generation in America with the majority of a white population. Generation Alpha has the largest minority population in around 2045 white people will fall below 50%.

[00:15:06]I'll just leave this information here, but I just want to say that I am so excited to see this change in my lifetime.

[00:15:14]>> This one's to my homegirls. If I told you I stopped [ __ ] with him and you check my location and I'm at house.

[00:15:22]Whoop-di-fucking-do. If I told you I stopped [ __ ] with him, and you see us out to eat, you see his name pop up on my [ __ ] phone, whoop-di-fucking-do, [ __ ] I can't leave him alone.

[00:15:37]>> What does drip mean? [music] >> Like style. Yeah, like if you see me right now, you say I'm drippy, right?

[00:15:41]>> If you want to call somebody cool, what would you say? Like [music] >> Probably like mad lit on god or something.

[00:15:46]>> Mad lit on god?

[00:15:47]>> Yeah, mad lit.

[00:15:48]>> G O D?

[00:15:49]>> Yeah, mad lit on god, on god, no cap.

[00:15:52]>> Mad lit >> Now, welcome back. That's amazing. At least we are seeing a different side of white people. Uh they'll call them woke, but these are people who have or kids who have woken up, and they just don't don't want to dis They just want to live in a peaceful way. They just want to live in a >> [music] >> in a world where they can mingle with everybody.

[00:16:10]Every generation has a choice to make.

[00:16:13]Every generation has a choice.

[00:16:15]And one of the biggest mistake uh people make is assuming that every generation think exactly like the generation before it. Look in African countries, for example, in Kenya. The millennial generation and the Gen Z generation, we are we are thinking differently. And the Gen uh Alpha that is coming, they are thinking differently, too.

[00:16:35]History does not work in a way that every generation is is the same. Every generation inherits a world, and then it decide whether to maintain it or to challenge it. Because when we grow up, we find some things that are there.

[00:16:50]We find white people coming to our land, taking it. We find white the Westerners controlling us. It is us to think if we will remain the same or will not remain the same.

[00:17:00]The young white people, they have found racism, they have found oppression, they have found sexism, homophobic. [snorts] It is them to think if they're going to keep it or they're going to leave it leave it alone. Because they are watching documentaries, they are reading history books, they can read historical records, and they can listen to people from different background backgrounds. They can communicate with people from all over the world right now because of the social media. And as a result of that, many young people are reaching conclusion that differ from the the previous generation. They are looking at historical injustices and asking, "Why did this happen?" They are seeing their great-great-grandparents lynching black people, shooting shooting, and doing what they got to do.

[00:17:43]And they're asking, "Who is been who benefited from this?" Because they are not benefiting from it. They are not having that privilege to live like like that. So, when they are reading these and they are watching these documentaries, they are getting some lessons and they are choosing what lesson lesson for them to learn and how they can move forward.

[00:18:00]So, this is happening and there's nothing you can do about it.

[00:18:04]Change is here and there's nothing you can do about that change.

[00:18:07]History shows us this is not new.

[00:18:11]Like some people act as if young white people standing against racism is something new. It's not new. History is full of examples. During the American Civil Rights Movement, there were white students who were joining the protest. I can I can I can vouch with them.

[00:18:28]There were white activists who marched alongside black activists. There were white journalists who exposed injustices. There were white lawyers who challenged discriminatory laws. It is not that it is something new, but we are seeing it to our young kids right now when you are living is not history. We are witnessing it and it's very very nice to witness something like this.

[00:18:51]And these white people or these white kids who are calling this racism against their own system is not that because they hate themselves. It's not because because they hate white people, but because they believed that injustice was wrong and they believe injustice there's wrong. Because these kids are seeing their friends, their black friends, their people of color friends being mistreated. They are being oppressed in school. And like the student just said, this school is a [ __ ] You know what that do? The internet changed everything. Right now, everything is on the table.

[00:19:23]They see, they listen, they watch. In the previous decades, we did not have this internet. It was only government institutions and major media organization that controlled most information. But today, a teenager can watch interviews of Malcolm X, can watch Louis Farrakhan, can watch Shahid Bolsen, can watch Tim Wise, can watch Patrice Lumumba, can watch um all these great minds from everywhere. They can hear voices that were once excluded from mainstream discussions, and that's what is changing their mind. That's very great. Young people are comparing story, they are reaching or uh they are researching for themselves. And they are like, "Do we need to live like this or do we need to change? Do I need to lynch my fellow person or do I need to change? Do I need to shoot my fellow um or do I need to change?" They are asking questions, and these questions is what is being raised out here. These questions is what is making the system to panic, because the system does not want you to ask question. The system want you to remain silent, to put your head down, and then move forward without complaining. But knowledge changes people. Knowledge changes people.

[00:20:37]Awareness create action.

[00:20:40]And action create change, and that's why we are saying as black people, we need to have knowledge again and again. Now, one thing that defines today's generation is their desire of authenticity. Young people can often recognize hypocrisy very quickly right now. Young people can notice when leaders preach equality but practice exclusion. Young people notice when institution promote fairness but tolerate unfairness, like the one they are seeing it in their schools.

[00:21:06]And once people begin noticing contradiction, they begin demanding accountability. If the boomers or this millennial will say your speech is so negative, there's nothing negative about this. It is just truth being said at the right time by the right person at the right place.

[00:21:25]That was the place in front of the parents, in front of the teachers. That was the the place for this eighth grade student to say what he got to say. People feel uncomfortable, systems feel uncomfortable, institutions feel uncomfortable about this.

[00:21:40]It has happened throughout history. When slavery and was challenged, some people were uncomfortable. When segregation was challenged, some people uncomfortable.

[00:21:48]When women demanded a voting rights, some people uncomfortable. It is happening throughout history. You can be uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, a change must come. When workers demanded fair treatment, some people uncomfortable about it. Change often creates discomfort because it is correct.

[00:22:08]But it doesn't mean that discomfort alone is not evidence that is something that one is something wrong. No.

[00:22:14]Sometimes discomfort is feeling of old assumption being challenged. And many young people, many young white people today are challenging assumptions.

[00:22:24]You get that?

[00:22:26]And many young people right now are exposed to diverse communities. They live among people of color.

[00:22:34]And they are like, "God damn it. This is what happened on this documentary and I'm seeing it like this. It is so bad.

[00:22:40]Their heart has something on it."

[00:22:44]You get that?

[00:22:45]And when someone knows people's personality, he deconstructs all the stereotypes. When you are told these people are like this and you are living with them and like, "Wow, these people are the greatest in this game, the culture and everything." So, you'll have to start again and think, "I was lied."

[00:23:00]And you'll ask the questions. And this means a lot of something to the future.

[00:23:04]The future is changing. The future, it is shaped by values. The future, it is shaped by what we're saying today.

[00:23:13]And that kid on the first video, he said a lot of white and black, a lot of youths are into depression because you don't want us to talk about this, because you are putting your evil decisions and evil minds on us and you force us to do what you got to do as a millennial or as a boomer.

[00:23:31]That's not going to happen. I'm going to say it straight in your face. And that's what these young white kids are saying, the young white Gen Zs. That's what they're saying. They're breaking the silence and it's giving pressure to the system. Tell me what you think. Until next episode, peace out.